Cyclone Phailin: Government, Congress to do utmost to stand up to any emergency

New Delhi: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi tonight said the government and her party will do everything possible to stand up to any eventuality and every emergent situation in the wake of cyclone Phailin in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

Mrs Gandhi has been in constant touch with Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, taking regular stock of the ground situation in the two states.

Mrs Gandhi, who has been continuously monitoring the developments, said her prayers and that of the entire Congress party are with the people of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh "in this hour of great natural calamity".

A statement issued by Congress said Sonia Gandhi has been continuously monitoring the developments in wake of the cyclone.

"The Congress party and the government have been and will be doing everything possible to stand up to any eventuality and every emergent situation" Mrs Gandhi said.

Six columns of Army from Ranchi to Bhubaneshwar and four columns from Visakhapatnam to districts in Andhra Pradesh have been dispatched and put into action as part of relief and rescue efforts. In addition, one engineering team of the Army is on the stand by for any eventuality.

NDRF teams comprising trained and professional disaster management personnel have been working in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal respectively.

The Telecommunication Department has provided 18 satellite phones to Odisha, 16 to Andhra Pradesh and 10 to NDRF for communication purposes.

The Cabinet Secretary has been in continuous touch with the Chief secretaries of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh with a view to coordinating and assisting relief and reconnaissance efforts.